Apparatus for folding paper.



No. 633,716. -P2itented Sept. 26, I899.

E. H. a c. P. COTTRELL.

APPARATUS FOR FOLDING PAPER.

(Application filed Mar. 30, 1897.)

(No Model.)

rm: noims PETERS ca, mom-mm" wnsumurcm o c.

llNiTED STATES PATENT tries.

EDGAR H. GOTTRELL AND CHARLES P. COTTRELL, OF STONINGTON, CON- NECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO THE O. B. COTTRELL & SONS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE AND NEYV YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR FOLDING PAPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 633,716, dated September 26, 1899.

Application filed March 80, 1897. Serial No. 629,912. (No model.) v

To all whom it may concern: of the table. The said ribs are continued Be it known that we, EDGAR H. COTTRELL in taper form or of a gradually-diminishing and CHARLES P. COTTRELL, of Stonington, in depth over the rounded margins of the slot the county of New London and State of Conand are prolonged to project downward benecticut, have invented a new and useful Imyond the edges of the said slot in the form of provement in Apparatus for Folding Paper, thin tongues 0* 0*, between which the fold of which the following is a specification. ing-blade passes.

This invention relates to that well-known The sheets of paper may be fed to the foldclass of folding apparatus the two principal ing-table A by any knownor suitable feedelements of which are a stationary folding ing device. Such feeding device is repretable or bed in which there is a slot and a sented by a roller j at the rear or receiving blade which enters the said slot and folds or end of the table and may be supposed to be commences the folding of the paper by drivone of a pair of pressure-rollers or one of the ing it into the said slot; and it relates esperollers of a tape-carrier. Of whatever kind I5 cially to such machines for folding simultathe feeding device may be it should be such neously several sheets which have been depos that by its action the sheets should be caused ited one upon another on such table or bed. to acquire such momentum that after leaving To enable others skilled in the art to make it they will run forward on the table as far as and use our invention, we will first describe astop-gage d on or near the farther end there- 20 it in detail with reference to the accompanyof, which will stop them in proper position for ing drawings and afterward point out its folding. novelty in claims. For the purpose of confining the front ends Figure 1 represents a side view of a foldof the sheets to the table in the feeding opering apparatus whichis necessary to illustrate ation, and especially for preventing the curl- 25 our invention. Fig. 2 represents a plan view ing or turning up of the forward edges or ends of the same with parts of the folding-blade of the sheets, there is arranged over the peromitted to expose other parts of the apparation of the table in advance of the slot at a tus to view. Fig. 3 is a vertical section corshaftiacarryinga number of wheels 75', which responding with Fig. 1, taken in the line 3 3 are arranged over the ribs 0 of the table, one

30 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents a vertical secfor each rib. The said shaft his represented tion corresponding with Fig. 3, but ona larger as running in hearings in arms Z, which are scale, of the slotted portion of the foldingsecured fixedly upon a stationary bar m, se-

table and of the folding-blade. cured across the table in the main framing 0 Similar letters of reference designate correof the folding machinery. The arms Z are so 5 sponding parts in all the figures. arranged upon the stationary bar m that the A is the folding-table, having init the slot wheels will run freely over the fed sheets a, through which works the folding-blade b, passing under them and without pressure carried by the arms B of arock-shaft B. The thereon. The said shaft 70 is furnished with slot Ct is represented as having its margins a spur-gear 713 through whichit receives such 0 rounded off downward in the usual manner rotary motion that the velocities of the peto facilitate the passage of the paper into it. ripheries of the wheels 7; are greater than that On the face of the table A at right angles to of the feed of the sheet, the purpose of the the slot CL there are a numberof raised ribs 0, said wheels being to prevent the curling up which are intended to correspond in number, of the heads of the sheets and of smoothing 5 width, and position with the number, width, out the sheets as they pass onward on the ta- 5 and position of the unprinted marginalspaees bles. Under the table there is a pair of pinchincluded in the width of the sheet to be folded. ing-rollers i, which are geared together and These ribs project only sufficiently above the suitably driven for the purpose of completing table to keep the printed pages from contact the fold commenced and partly performed in 50 with the intervening portions of the surfaces the slot c by the blade I). The gear k on the 1.00

shaft 70 is represented as deriving motion from agear on the shaft of one of these pinching-rollers through intermediate gears n on a' fixed stud a, secured in the framing. The prolongations of the ribs c and their tongues 0* 0* extend about the upper parts of the said rollers.

In the folding operation produced by the entry of the blade into the slot to the paper is unavoidably dragged over the table; but the ribs 0 confine the drag to the unprinted mar ginal portions of the sheet, and the final action of the blade where the drag would be most severe takes place between the projecting tongues 0*, which during such action are the only portions of the table with which the sheet is in contact. The smearing of the printed portion of the sheet is thus prevented.

For the purpose of evening the side edges of a number of sheets successively deposited on the table against the front stop-gage (1 previous to their being simultaneously folded there is fast upon the table, near one side thereof, a plate 6, constituting a stationary guide or gage for one edge of the sheet arranged at right angles to the slot a, and near the other side of the table there is similarly arranged, parallel with e, a similar plate j, which may be called a joggerj and which may be given a slight movement toward the guide or gage c for the purpose of pushing the successive sheets toward the said gage c. This joggerf is made with a hub f which slides in a guide-slot f in the table A and which projects downward below the table, where it is fastened by any suitable means, as by a set-screw f*, to a rod f which works in a guide f under the table. Between the said guide f and a nutf screwed upon the said rod f there is coiled around the rod a spiral spring f which tends to draw thejoggerf toward the gage e. The rod f is connected with one end of a lever g, which works on a fixed fulcrum g, secured to one side of the table A. The other end of the said lever is furnished with a roller g*, which works against a cam h on a suitable shaft h, to which rotary motion is imparted by any suitable means. This shaft h is represented as the shaft of one of the pinching-rollers. The said cam h during every revolution of the shaft h draws aside the jogger f, widening the space between it and the gage c. The connection between the lever g and the jogger-rod f is so adjusted by nuts f on the portion of the rod f which projects through the said lever that the cam, acting on the other end of the lever, will only permit the spring to draw the jogger toward the gage so far that there is just room between them for a sheet. The rotation of the cam draws back the jogger as often as the sheets are deposited on the table, and every time a sheet is deposited it is knocked or jogged toward the gage e by the action of the spring on the ogger. In this way the side edges of the sev= eral sheets to be simultaneously folded are evened together, and as the front edges are evened against the stop-gage d the sheets are folded uniformly.

It maybe mentioned that in a machine for folding simultaneously several sheets which have been successively deposited upon the table the folding-blade would only'be operated at intervals after the desired number of sheets had been deposited. A machine so organized, to which this invention is especially adapted, would fold sheets of a length greater than the circumference of the rollers 't' 2'; but

if the cam h for operating the jogger f 80 should be upon the shaft of one of said rollers in a machine organized to fold singly every sheet deposited on the table the length of the sheets folded could not be greater than the circumference of the said rollers.

lVhat we claim as our invention is 1. In a folding apparatus, the combination of a folding-blade and afolding-table having a slot with rounded margins for the entry of said blade and having upon its face at right angles to the slot a series of raised ribs which are continued of gradually-diminishing depth over said rounded margins, substantially as herein described.

2. In a folding apparatus, the combination of a folding-blade, a folding-table having a slot for the entry of said blade and having upon its face at right angles to its slot a series of raised ribs which are prolonged in the form of tongues beyond the edges of the slot, and pinching-rollers at the back of said slot between which said tongues enter,substa-ntially as herein described.

3. In a folding apparatus, the combination of a folding-blade, a folding-table slotted for the entry of said blade, means for feeding sheets to said table, a rotary shaft arranged across the face of said table, smoothingwheels upon said shaft running in proximity to the table without pressure thereon, and means for driving said shaft whereby the peripheries of said wheels have a velocity greater than that of the feed of the sheets, substan* tially as herein described.

4. In a folding apparatus, the combination of a folding-blade, a folding-table slotted for the entry of said blade and having upon its face at right angles to its slot a series of raised ribs, a rotary shaft arranged across the face of said table and smoothing-wheels upon said shaft arranged opposite to said ribs, substantially as herein described.

EDGAR H. COTTRELL. CHARLES I. COTTRELL. 'itrresses as to Edgar II. Cottrell:

HENRY T. BROWN, FREDK. HAYNES. Witnesses as to Charles P. Cottrell:

A. R. STILLMAN, B. F. LAKE.

ICC

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